What is Science?

Science Class
8th Grade
Ms. Artigas
 What is Science?
A helicopter lands near the top of an
erupting volcano. With care and speed,
a team of scientists get out to do their work.
“I’ve been out there sometimes when lava
is shooting out of the ground 100 meters high,”
says Margaret Mangan, a scientist who studies volcanoes. “The
main thing you’re struck with is the sound. It’s like the roaring of
many jet engines. Then there’s the smell of sulfur, which is
choking. The wind can blow particles from the lava fountain over
you, little bits of congealed lava. It feels like a hot sandstorm.”
 What is Science?
A way of learning about the natural world
through observations and logical reasoning;
leads to a body of knowledge.
Science also includes all of the knowledge
gained by exploring the natural world.
Scientists use skills to learn more about the world.
• Observing
• Inferring
• Predicting
• Classifying
• Making models
 Observing
Use one or more of your senses to gather
information.
Your senses include sight, hearing, touch,
taste, and smell.
Observations can be either quantitative or qualitative.
• Quantitative observations deal with a number, or amount.
• Qualitative observations, on the other hand, deal with descriptions
that cannot be expressed in numbers.
 Inferring
Explain or interpret the things you
observe, it is based on your previous
knowledge.

List 3 inferences you can

make about this picture.
 Predict
Make a forecast of what will happen in
the future based on past experience
or evidence.
Predictions and inferences are closely related.
An inference is typically an attempt to explain what is happening or
has happened.
A prediction is a forecast of what will happen.
 Classifying
The process of grouping together items
that are alike in some way.
Classifying things helps you to stay
organized so you can easily find and use
them later.
 Making Models
Create representations of complex objects
or processes.
Models help people study and understand
things that are complex or that can’t be
observed directly.
 Scientific Attitudes
As they explore scientific problems, scientists
maintain a scientific attitude toward their work.
Characteristics that are part of a scientific
attitude include :
Curiosity is what drives a scientist to ask questions that no one has
thought of before.
Honesty requires that scientists report their findings truthfully.
Open-mindedness helps a scientist to accept new and different ideas.
Skepticism scientists doubt an idea until it has been fully tested.
Creativity helps scientists come up with new ways of solving
problems.